All Saints Church, Church Lawton
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| All Saints Church, Church Lawton | |
  Shown within Cheshire
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Church Lawton, Cheshire, England |
| Geographic coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Religious affiliation | Anglican |
| District | Diocese of Chester |
| Ecclesiastical status | Parish church |
| Leadership | Rev Graham Joyce, Rector |
| Website | All Saints, Church Lawton |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Perpendicular Neoclassical |
| Year completed | 1803 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Tower red and buff sandstone Body brick, tile roof |
All Saints Church, Church Lawton stands on a mound close to Lawton Hall in the small village of Church Lawton, Cheshire, England (grid reference SJ822556). It is a Grade II* listed building.[1] It continues to be active as a parish church.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
The church was founded around the end of the 11th century, probably by Hugh de Mara, Lord of Lawton.[3] There is a tradition that in the 8th century the body of St Werburgh rested overnight on the site of the church while it was being carried from Lincolnshire to Chester.[4] In 1652 the church was struck by lightning and 11 people in the church were killed. The body of the church was destroyed by fire in 1798 and rebuilt by 1803.[3] Following the fire of 1798 the body of the church was rebuilt in brick in neoclassical style.[1] The cost of this was around £8,000.[4] A south porch was added in 1923.[5]
[edit] Structure
The tower at the west end, dating from the 16th century, is built of red and buff sandstone in perpendicular style. On the south face of the tower are carved a chalice and the initials "I. B.".[1] These initials are those of the parish priest of the time, John Bybber,[3] or Byber.[4] A Norman doorway which survived the fire has been reset in the south wall of the nave.[6] Inside the church at the west end is a gallery dated 1717 which survived the fire.[1]
[edit] Fittings and furniture
It was planned to refurbish the church in 1873 but the full refurbishment did not occur. At the time the old box pews were replaced with the present pews and a two-manual organ was installed in the gallery.[4] Also inside the church are the royal coat of arms of George III and six hatchments of the Lawton family.[7] At the base of a stairway leading to the gallery is the tomb of John Byber on which are carved his initials.[8] Displayed under the gallery are some 13th century flooring tiles which were discovered during the 1874 restoration.[9] The ring is of eight bells, five of which are dated 1713.[4] The parish registers start in 1559 and the churchwardens' accounts date from 1691.[3]
[edit] External features
In the rectory garden is a font dating from the middle of the eighteenth century.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Images of England: Church of All Saints, Church Lawton. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
- ^ Church website. All Saints' Church, Church Lawton.
- ^ a b c d e Richards, Raymond (1947). Old Cheshire Churches. London: B. T Batsford, 129–132.
- ^ a b c d e Sutton, Ron (Revd) (June 1996). A History of All Saints' Church, Church Lawton (2nd ed.). All Saints' Church, Church Lawton. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
- ^ New, Robert (2002). History Tour of All Saints' Church Church Lawton: Churchyard. All Saints' Church, Church Lawton. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
- ^ All Saints, Church Lawton, Cheshire. The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
- ^ New, Robert (2002). History Tour of All Saints' Church Church Lawton: Nave. All Saints' Church, Church Lawton. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
- ^ New, Robert (2002). History Tour of All Saints' Church Church Lawton: Tower. All Saints' Church, Church Lawton. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
- ^ Morant, Roland W. (1989). Cheshire Churches. Birkenhead: Countyvise, 124. ISBN 0 907768 18 0.
[edit] External links
- Thornber, Craig (2005-10-10). A Scrapbook of Cheshire Antiquities: Church Lawton.
